Christmas and grandkids

Christmas is just a few days away. Actually, just six more days, to be exact.

We are pretty much ready around our house. Of course, we’re going to be by ourselves on Christmas Day for the first time in several years, so we don’t have as much get-readying to do.

The trees are all decked out. Note I said trees, plural. We have two Christmas trees. One, the main one, is in the living room, and has a veritable cornucopia of presents spilling out from under it. Another, smaller version is in the family room/quilt studio/office downstairs. It’s lacking any presents but it looks cheerful all the same.

And then there are the other decorations – wreaths, candles, outside lights, the works. We have a small nativity set (small is the operative word with our decor – we haven’t all that much room, really) and some other yuletide knick-knacks we’ve picked up over the years.

Finally, there are the stockings. Over the years my wife, who’s an accomplished seamstress, has made Christmas stockings for each member of the family – for the kids when they were little, then for their spouses and children as they came into the picture. These are hanging on the banister in the living room.

It’s really not the same without any kids around, but we are not deterred. This year, we’ll be seeing our grandchildren just on either side of the holiday – we’ll go down to Wichita this weekend to see the older two, and then our daughter will be here on Dec. 27 with our youngest grandchild, a 5-year-old, to stay for a week or so.

In the time-honored tradition of all grandparents, we probably do more for our grandchildren than is really good for them, but, hey, that’s what being a grandparent is all about. It’s how you pay back your children for all the grief they caused you over the years.

Given that our resources are finite and not what they once were, we do all right by the grandchildren. The youngster, the 5-year-old, makes out like a bandit. We’ll send several packages their way with presents that they can open on Christmas Day, but of course it won’t end there. He’ll be here right after Christmas, so of course we’ll have a little something extra for him when he gets here.

This is all part of a plan. I figure we’re building goodwill with our grandchildren now, in the hope that someday they’ll take care of us. Fat chance, I know, but still, hope springs eternal.